Unbox the Resistant Customer

Your shopper’s resisting making a purchase you’re convinced would be in the shopper’s best interest. As you escalate the sales pressure, the shopper digs in, becoming progressively more determined not to do what you’re trying to convince them to do. They start debating each idea you present and step away from you.
     Consumer researchers call it “reactance.” It kicks in when shoppers sense that their freedom of choice is threatened. Reactance occurs across cultures. It’s found not only in places like the U.S., where individual initiative is treasured, but in collectivist cultures like South Korea. It’s found in all age groups.
     Although knowing about reactance is important for retailers, it’s even more important to know how to avoid, or at least delay, its onset. Doing this keeps your shoppers receptive to increasingly assertive sales appeals. Here’s what research findings suggest:

• Review your own reasoning. Your primary focus should always be on what helps your retail profitability, but as part of this, stay convinced that what you are saying to the customer is truly in the best interest of the customer. Then frame your sales pitch around these genuine benefits. Customer suspiciousness triggers reactance. On the other hand, research findings from Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy indicate that reactance will be delayed when the shopper feels they owe the retailer for being helpful. 
• Step back yourself. When you see reactance developing, physically step away from the shopper briefly. If feasible, move to a less crowded shopping area or an area in which there is a large selection of products. Researchers at Columbia University and University of British Columbia found that crowded store spaces and limited product assortment heighten reactance. Verbally step back by softening the rhetoric. Researchers at University of Illinois and University of Louisiana found more reactance when using phrasing like, “It’s impossible to deny all the evidence that the TMX-890 is the only choice for you,” than with, “Purchasing the TMX-890 makes the best sense for you.” 
• Talk of pleasure. Researchers at Georgetown University and Ben-Gurion University had some participants read a message encouraging them to try a chocolate treat. The other participants’ message encouraged them to open a bank account. Those in the first condition responded best to an assertive message, “You must try our chocolate.” Those with the bank message responded best to a non-assertive pitch, “You could open a bank account with us.” 

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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React When Faced with Reactance 
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